The Paris Art and Movie Awards is the leading independent film festival in Paris. The « PAMA » has been ranked, as soon as its second year, the second festival not to miss in Paris, by The Culture Trip Magazine. Their goal is to help independent filmmakers screening their films, awarding them, show their films to high level industry talents and public figures.

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

A: The best feedback proof we have is filmmakers coming back to the PAMA and submit again when they have a new film. They tell us our festival is a real opportunity to network. We had directors finding actresses, we had filmmaker matching with a producer, scriptwriters connecting with directors. And of course with the audience. We’re going to try and continue this so the Paris Art and Movie Awards stay human and films connected.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

A: As we move to a new movie theatre every year, audience and filmmakers will have the films screen in a new location in 2017 again. Every year we get bigger in attendance, so in seats capacity.

Also the Judges : we usually have about 5 international judges. We had Mark Dacascos, and French legendary actor Alain Doutey. This year, we already announced 10 judges, and I can tell you two more are coming, minimum.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

A: We’re looking for quality of course, but we’re not ashamed to say we’re expecting ambition. The PAMA is the leading independent film festival in Paris, and we want to screen and promote filmmakers who want to reach out, to jump out of the box, to achieve something. Out selection process rewards the ambition you have, and how you manage to make a movie, to fully complete it, which is no easy task.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

A: It is less and less true. Because there are more and more film festivals, and that’s, in some ways, good for filmmakers : they can target the events that fit them, where their films will be a match. What I personally think, is that there is a huge gap between the A-Class worldwide film festivals, and the indy festivals. This is why the Paris Art and Movie Award was created ; to stand there, remain accessible, but clearly offering high quality screenings, events, networking.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

A: The people. The filmmakers, and the lovers of cinema. During the 2016 opening speech of the festival, I said we care about the people who make the films, and I mean it. When you se all the artists and filmmakers that stayed in touch after the different editions of the festival, that is truly rewarding to us. That feeling makes me want to go on and on for that.

MT: How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

A: We just opened submissions, and that’s amazing : that’s the biggests start we had since the creation of the festival. It’s like people were somehow expecting us to accept entries and… Here we are !

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

A: I would love the festival to reach a large venue, and even several venue to host the many screenings and events. 2020, I’d also say we’ll have secured partnerships with USA and the festival being included in an international network connecting Paris, Los Angeles, Vancouver and London…

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

A: The Frighteners, by Peter Jackson. The perfect, most ignored and under-estimated feature by Jackson, which is the perfect balance between comedy and genre. And Terminator 2 by James Cameron. One of the film that founded my love for cinema.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A: Not a sentence, a word: script.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

A: The festival scene is booming, but I wonder how many festivals will still be around in two to three years. As for the movie business in Paris, the films in the middle -between 1 and 4M€ budget- are disappearing and that’s a dramatic loss for independent filmmakers. The influence of Luc Besson did some real good, for tax rebate and obviously to give something the new generation of artists can build from. Regarding the independent short films scene, it is hard to tell as it’s mostly in the dark. I will tell you that when we’ll have the 2017 selection at the PAMA.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Paris is a vibrant venue for culture, with lots of venues for shows, and the city itself is a gigantic set to shoot images. The festival selects Music Videos and dance movies from all over the world and they screen it in Paris and give young artists both sides of the camera to be noticed for their talents.

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Matt Beurois: Paris as a mixed history with Music Video festival. There is a huge one, but it is for well established artists and artists with labels… That doesn’t really need a festival exposure. We want to offer a real opportunity for artists, bands, directors working in music vids to have they work screened, seen, shared.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

MB: A great atmosphere ! We visited quite a lot of underground venues in Paris. For our first year we choose the Highlander Scottish Pub because they have two screens, and because they really like our idea and our way of doing it. Music Videos will be a full part of this night in the underground cave of the pub.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

MB: We just are expecting to discover music videos. A music vid can easily be enjoyed : there’s music, images, it is short. But for the same reasons, and long after the MTV generation, a music vid has turned to be just another piece of marketing. What we like are music videos made with serious, sometimes ambition, and we love to watch something fun. We have selected very different music videos, in their music genres, but also in their styles, graphic design, editing… We select music vids that we want people to discover an so we can tell them : “take a look at this one, is comes from that other side of the world, it really has some guts”.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

MB: We all know there are different ranges of festivals. The A type festival are like the holy grail most of us will never be able to reach. Under that there are the big festivals, the ones you never get selected to even if your work really would deserve it. Above that, there are hundreds of festivals, and we choose to create festivals that may, can and do accept and select strange, different, bloody, experimental stuff. We want to be one of these festivals the filmmakers are proud to take part of, and we try to do it so it is useful for artists to be part of our selections.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

MB: We created a couple of movie festivals before, as the Paris Art and Movie Awards. I personally worked in the music business as a manager for 10 years, and I directed myself several music videos. I love this genre, because first of all I love music, and I love cinema. After the Paris Art and Movie Award had such a success, we created the Paris Music Video Underground, so we can just focus on one category, and create a competition that really emphasis these talents.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

MB: This is our very first edition, and we are really happy about the submissions we had. We hope the festival will grow !

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

MB: “The Frighteners” by Peter Jackson, just before he dived into the LOTR. This movie is an underestimated masterpiece, a perfect balance between entertainment and good script. For his first movie in the US, of this scale, I have much respect for Jackson.

Also, “The Truman Show”. When you watch this movie for the first time, your jaws will drop. Then, the more you watch it, the more it may freaks you out. This is so our world now…

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

MB: The script has to be good.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

MB: From the watchers point of view, we have many theaters, Original Versions, independent venues and major distributors. Paris is the greatest place in France to watch movies.

If you’re talking about the film business, Paris is hopeless, stuck in the mafia-like family process.

Matt Beurois is a multi-award winning director and screenwriter with a background in Modern Letter in French High School, and a degree in Advertisement Communication and Marketing. He directed 25 shorts, and wrote 5 features, one of the screenplays being award nominated in the UK. He also produced and directed several music videos through the years, in Paris and London. He also is the founder of the Paris Art and Movie Awards, the only international festival in Paris intended for indie filmmakers and producers. His last movie to date as director : ‘Man of the Past’ has been selected by 31 festivals worldwide, winning 4 awards in Los Angeles, Paris, Croatia and India, including Best International Film Award in Hollywood, and screened in Cannes Film Festival in may 2014.
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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go towww.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.